Career
He was also the vice president of the first American Football League, as well as the owner of the league"s Cleveland Panthers. Early life and military career
In 1946, Zimmerman"s "Panthers" moniker was ranked second in a contest sponsored by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for fans to name Cleveland"s new All-America Football Conference franchise. Coach Paul Brown did not want the new team named after him, so he looked into naming the club the Panthers.
However the team"s secretary, George T. Jones, reportedly demanded too much money and the team was instead named the Cleveland Browns.
